When a fake number text leads to a once in a lifetime connection…over text. Can it last in the real world with real conflicts and jobs and families? Emmy is a baseball statistics analyst who loves her job but has never had significant others who understand and accept her dedication. Can she take a chance on one more guy who ends up in her texts on accident?

This was such a cute premise and a great development. Loved both of them and their flaws, they were both great characters and really fun to get lost in. Loved loved the spice and just how smitten Emmy is, she makes you lust after him just as much even without ever having seen him. I loved not knowing exactly how it was going to end either. Definitely looking forward to more books from Holly Michelle!

Thank you to NetGalley, Holly Michelle, and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't sure I'd like a book about baseball, but this left me with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside and had me rooting for Emmy and Gabe until the very last page.

Emmy Jameson gets a text from an unknown number: "Last night was fun." She texts back, telling the mysterious person they got the wrong number. They end up striking up a conversation, the conversation flows, and after years of being single and keeping her guard up, she starts to fall for this mysterious guy on the other side of the screen, and becomes comfortable with their anonymity with each other. In real life, she's vying for a senior analyst position at her job, and she's up against none other than her worst work enemy, Gabe Olson. Little do either of them know that they've been texting each other this entire time, and they might just fall in love with each other.

To start, you don't have to understand baseball to enjoy the book. While Emmy and Gabe both work as statistics analysts for an MLB team in California, the book doesn't go in much depth about the sport itself. I don't even think it goes that much into the math and the intricacies about the formulas that Emmy and Gabe use in their day-to-day life at the office. Long story short, you don't need to be the world's biggest MLB fan or a math major to understand what's going on in the book! I know I'm not either of those things, so I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn't bogged down by different statistical models or names of different MLB teams or players' names I don't know.

Another thing I loved about the story was Emmy's storyline in the workplace and how she always had to work twice as hard to achieve the same things as her male coworkers. As one of the only women in the workplace in a STEM career, let alone a baseball team, she's had her experience of learning how to be a part of the "boys' club" in order to advance her career and her fair share of workplace bias which was brought up time and time again. It's why she hates Gabe so much, and I'm glad that the author brought this (unfortunately) relevant topic to light. I love that more authors like Holly Michelle and Chelsea Curto are starting to bring more awareness to women present in male-dominated sports and I hope this trend continues.

I loved seeing Emmy and Gabe's relationship grow, both in real life and over text. They started off as strangers (but they didn't know that they knew each other) to lovers and I think some of the best rom-coms I've read are those types of stories where they truly don't know each other and fate just has some plans in store for them. I love that their relationship was organic and felt natural. They took their time getting to know each other. They got to know every part of each other, right down to their raw, unfiltered thoughts about their past and the secrets and burdens that they've kept to themselves for so long, and I loved watching them grow together as individuals and with each other. While a good portion of the book relies on dramatic irony—the idea that the audience knows something the main characters don't—I thought it was super funny to read about them putting the pieces together.

The only major complaint I had about the book was the third-act breakup. Like most third-act breakups in romance books, I find them unnecessary and stupid. Like, why ruin a good thing, you know? I was literally holding my breath and thinking to myself, "Okay when is the other shoe going to drop...." because I could sense it coming, but I had no idea when. The ending of the story was also quite obvious and while I'm 100% aware this isn't a thriller, there was some foreshadowing about how the book was going to end and turns out, my hunch was correct.

Overall, if you're looking for a fast, quick, fun sports romance to read this summer, I hope Last Night Was Fun is added to your TBR! I didn't think I would like it as much as I did, and this was fantastic for a debut novel! I can't wait to see what Holly Michelle has in store next.

Baseball. You've Got Mail. Rivals to lovers. Luxury resorts with only one bed. Say Less!

This was cute! I loved the Moneyball baseball vibes and a girl trying to climb the ladder in not just
a male dominated sport, but also the behind the scenes. Gabe was pretty dang dreamy and just kept showing up for Emmy despite her misunderstandings causing real problems for them a couple times. I'd argue he was a little more in love with her, than she was with him. I mean the man quotes Pretty Woman in a stunning take down of her ex. I think I had heart eyes. It really kept me reading and even though there was a dreaded if brief third act break-up, I enjoyed the resolution.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon/Harper Voyager, and Ms. Michelle for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

I'm a sucker for any book marketed to me as reminiscent of "the Hating Game", as I live in perpetual hope that that tagline will be correct one of these times. None of them ever do. Authors, take note: it's not just the "enemies to lovers in the workplace" general vibe, it's those thousand acts of absolute rock-bottom pettiness, that vindictive drive to have the last strike, the last word, the last dirty look. But anyways. While not going full Hating Game, Last Night was Fun was still a lot of fun, and a very enjoyable book.

Emmy Jameson is a data analyst for a MLB baseball team. Come to think of it, I don't think the team was explicitly named, but she lives and works in San Diego, so it's either the Padres or some made up team that's a placeholder for the Padres. She is competing against the three other analysts, aka the Boys' Club, for promotion to the position of Senior Analyst, and fervently believes that she is the best choice but that her top competitor, Gabe Oleson (former baseball player and Boys' Club member) gets preferential treatment as well as credit for her hard work.

Emmy lives for her job - she literally chose her job over her boyfriend in her previous relationship - and has given up on dating due to her ex being a jerk. She is therefore taken by surprise when she is cold-texted by a person she at first believes to be her landlord but who turns out to be a mystery man given a wrong number at a bar (which, of course, actually belongs to Emmy). Emmy and Mystery Man (she calls him "Axe Murderer", he calls her "Bird Girl", long story) hit it off and quickly become close via text, while Emmy debates (a) meeting him IRL and (b) inviting him to her sister's wedding as her date.

I really liked the portions relating to Emmy's career and her workplace; I feel like I've been reading a lot of books lately wherein the female character shines a light on inequitable treatment of women. In this particular case Emmy actually has a very supportive supervisor (also a woman) but her workplace is undeniably largely male. Doubly so, because she is working with mathematics and statistics, which has unequal gender representation, in professional sports (ditto). Frankly, baseball is NOT my sport (hockey by far #1, football distant second), and even this cute book could not sway me on my stance that baseball is boring (sorry not sorry!), but I can appreciate Emmy's love for her career and the sport.

You do need to suspend a certain amount of disbelief: the premise is adorable but so, so improbable... and how they didn't realize they were texting each other is mind-boggling. Nonetheless, it was a REALLY cute story and left me with warm fuzzies. Just to add, I really liked that the other data analysts turned out to be far more complex and layered than the usual "douchey boys club members" are portrayed. Overall I enjoyed this a lot despite the improbability of the premise. 3.5 solid stars.

Last Night Was Fun
By: Holly Michelle

Thank you Avon and Netgalley for the free e-arc #Avon #AvonHarperPerrenial All opinions are my own.

“It’s just… I can’t have him show up and see me there alone and think he won.”
“He gently pulled her arms down so he could see her face.”
“Hey. I promise you he lost, Emmy.”

As one of the few female data analysts working for a local baseball team, Emmy gives 110% to her job at all times which makes dating and relationships tough. But when she receives a random text message from a stranger claiming “last night was fun” she experiences something completely new, an instant connection with a fun and clever stranger who she quickly finds herself falling for. What Emmy doesn’t know is that the stranger she is sharing all of her secrets with is actually her workplace nemesis, Gabe, who has no idea who he is messaging either.

I’ve seen this one described as You’ve Got Mail meets The Hating Game and have to say that this is the perfect description for this book!! If you are a fan of either or both of these then you should definitely give Last Night Was Fun a try! I, personally, loved it so much! It was cute and fun and so heartfelt. I fell for both Emmy and Gabe equally and forever. Their quick-witted banter and heart-pounding chemistry was just so much fun! Finally, the texting back and forth was epic and I can honestly say that a wrong number romance done right is apparently my kind of rom-com!

To Bird Girl and Axe Murderer, your story is perfection!! A must read if you love workplace rivals to lovers romance!

Read if you like:

Rivals to Lovers
Workplace Romance
Sports Romance
Only One Bed
Forced Proximity
Texts on Page

I enjoyed reading Last Night Was Fun by Holly Michelle. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

Thank you for the chance to read this early. This was a cute Rom-Com with Workplace Rivals to lovers that had me chuckling throughout. Unfortunately once the spice showed up I feel like our characters went from learning they had an actual connection and getting to know each other away from work to only focusing on anything physical between them which does not make the strongest feeling connection. They went from working through conflicts and becoming friends to instantly jumping to physical attraction and attention rather than building up to it and I just felt like it over shadowed all the aspects leading up to it.

Highly Enjoyable!

This was an enjoyable read! It had a wonderful blend of humor, rivalry, with a side of nerdiness. I can see myself rereading this one in the future! Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an early copy of this one!

I decided to pick up this book pretty last minute, and I honestly flew through it. It is exactly what it sits out to be- a very cute, very easy romcom read. There’s a little hint of you got mail with millennials in text messages and a little hint of the hating game with workplace rivalry. Don’t read this book if you don’t like miscommunications because the entire plot relies on miscommunications! But I did enjoy the fast pace, easy romance! Some deeper topics like family expectations and drug abuse are addressed, but not overwhelming.

Thank you to #netgalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Emmy Jameson is a baseball analyst who prefers to spend her time alone in her apartment. When she gets a wrong number text she makes an unexpected connection with a stranger and the two begin daily messages. It turns out the person on the other end of the phone is none other than her work rival, Gabe Olson. The two must navigate the fact that their new found connection and affection at Emmy’s sister’s wedding and then back at work.

I enjoy Shop Around the Corner / You’ve Got Mail retellings and this one was no exception. I really really really liked that the two found out the truth at the same time rather than the guy finding out first and continuing to play a long like in the source material. I also appreciated that they handled their work relationship like mature adults and addressed the potential HR violation that so many workplace romances ignore. I also enjoyed that this book was a sports romance without one of the main characters being an athlete. I had a great time reading this one and read it a lot faster than I thought I would.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a super cute, fun rom-com! I originally thought I was diving into a classic sports romance with a baseball player lead, but I was totally wrong! 😆 Instead, we get two data analyst nerds working for a baseball team who end up falling in love. ⚾️🏟️💕 I thought this was super unique and fun!

Gabe definitely falls first (and hard!) for Emmy, and I loved seeing how smitten he was. I really enjoyed their nerdy and flirty banter and their undeniable chemistry.

Overall, this is such an easy, breezy read . I flew through this book so fast! 🤣😍

As a data analyst, I absolutely loved Last Night Was Fun by Holly Michelle! Emmy Jameson, a stats analyst for a baseball team, is smart, driven, and totally relatable. When she accidentally starts texting a stranger—who turns out to be her professional rival, Gabe Olson—the sparks fly in the most delightful way.

This book had everything I adore: enemies-to-lovers tension, witty banter, Hallmark-level romance, and a brilliant heroine working in a male-dominated field. The “wrong number” twist was such a fun and original hook, and the chemistry between Emmy and Gabe kept me turning pages late into the night.

I couldn’t put it down. Holly Michelle perfectly blended career ambition with heartwarming romance, and I need more stories like this. A total win!

Last Night Was Fun was such a fun novel. I loved seeing the parallels between Emmy & Gabe's strangers texting relationship and their less friendly in person relationship. One of my favorite things in romance novels is to see realistic growth in the characters because it makes them easier to connect with, and this novel delivers on that. The slow burn really worked for this novel and I was curious to see where the author took it once we hit the 'big reveal' point. I'm so glad that the novel didn't fizzle out after they MCs came to realize that their wrong number texting buddy was actually their coworker. I loved the way that the baseball aspect was treated. So many novels with sports are professional players so the fact that the MCs worked in the sports industry but behind the scenes was an extremely interesting change for a sports novel.


The only thing that bummed me out with this novel was that I wasn't expecting the third person POV. It worked well but it's not usually the POV I pick up.

Overall, this novel grabbed my attention so well that the only reason I didn't finish it in one night was because I had to work the next day.

The fourth book by Holly James (now going by Holly Michelle) and the first one I’ve read by her, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The cover of the book was absolutely adorable, and as someone who has enjoyed a baseball game or ten in her life (Go Rays!), I was definitely intrigued by what this book might have to offer. Last Night Was Fun takes readers off the field and behind the curtain, opening up a world we don’t normally think about while catching America’s favorite pastime.

“Your job or me.” The ultimatum Emmy’s most recent ex threw her way still burns fresh in her mind as she helps her sister prep for a destination wedding. Emmy Jameson loves her job. She lives for baseball and data analysis, and to have someone tell her she worked too much, cared too much, and had to choose - it completely blew her mind. The cherry on top? That same someone told her she was destined to be alone - a point about to feel painfully proven when she learns Jacob was invited to Piper’s wedding, while she’s still single, dateless, and dreading the event.

With absolutely zero prospects for a date and no escape as Maid of Honor, Emmy is all but convinced dragging along her best friend Beth might be her only option. But then - enter a random wrong number that changes everything. Suddenly, “Axe Murder” becomes her friend, her confidant, the reason for her late-night smiles, and eventually, her secret crush. Behind the veil of a phone screen, Emmy feels like she can let her guard down - something she rarely gets to do as a woman in the male-dominated world of baseball. Secrets, vulnerabilities, and moments she’d never dream of sharing with someone like Gabe Olson - her office nemesis and perpetual one-upper - are safe in these messages with a complete stranger.

When Emmy decides “Axe Murder” would be the perfect wedding date, their planned first meeting takes an unexpected turn. Turns out, “Axe Murder” isn’t some random stranger - it’s Gabe. THE Gabe Olson from the office. The coworker she can’t stand, who seems to exist solely to frustrate her. How could the man she’s been falling for through texts be the same person she dreads in her day-to-day life?

Still, there’s no escaping the wedding, and she needs a date. Gabe agrees to step in, and everything comes to a head in Mexico. A shared hotel room, one bed, and a rainy sprint through the resort later, their mantra becomes “what happens in Mexico, stays in Mexico.” But back home, real life doesn’t stay in Mexico. And with a job promotion on the line that pits them against each other, Emmy is forced to face the same dilemma that’s haunted her before: will she have to choose between love and her career yet again?

The beginning of the book, especially the texting conversations between “Axe Murder” and “Bird Girl,” were some of the best parts. I would say I flew through the first 40%, particularly since I already knew who “Axe Murder” was based on the back-of-the-book summary. The moments obvious only to the reader, combined with the banter, made the entire thing extremely fun to read.

Then the reveal happens, and the pace started to slow down. Once Gabe made it to the wedding, I had high hopes that things would pick back up. And they did, just a little... But even then, the story settled into this steady, slow-burn rhythm that didn’t quite carry the same zest as the beginning. By the time I hit about 80%, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was dragging, and I just wanted to push through the inevitable third-act breakup so I could get to the resolution.

One quick note: For those who shy away from open-door romances but aren’t fully on board with fade-to-black either, Holly made an interesting choice to include on-page intimacy while avoiding anything explicit, vulgar, or graphically descriptive. Instead, she opted for a more poetic approach, using flowery language, metaphors, and symbolism to depict the emotions and physical sensations shared between the characters.

Unfortunately, the third-act breakup is what put the book on life support for me. While the grand gesture at the end salvaged it somewhat, I was beyond disappointed with Emmy’s reaction. Throughout the entire book, she’s built up as this strong, capable, highly intuitive and intelligent woman - someone who rises above and handles herself, no matter the situation. Then all of a sudden, she’s in love, and all her logic flies out the window? Instead of seeking clarity..., she blew up and went completely nuclear on him.

Here’s a guy who repeatedly went out of his way to show her he cared and this is where she draws her line? After everything he’d done to prove he had her best interests at heart time and time again? By that point, I was completely done and ready to tell Gabe to cut his losses and run for the hills.

As much as I loved the baseball stats, the geek-out moments, and the empowering nods to women in sports, Last Night Was Fun just couldn’t hold onto the momentum it built in the first half. If the third-act breakup had been reworked, I could absolutely see this going from a 4-star read to a full 5 stars. As it stands, while it’s not something I’d readily recommend to everyone, I’d still say it’s worth checking out - with a bit of a warning about the slower pace and the frustrations you might feel toward the end.

Spoilers have been removed

4.5 stars rounded up

Thank you to @avonbooks and @netgalley for my gifted arc!

Wowowow this was SO cute!! I honestly loved it. It’s marketed as You’ve Got Mail meets The Hating Game, and that’s super on point! It also reminded me of one my recent reads, Reply All, by Caroline Frank.

I loved the aspect of the FMC, Emmy, working in a male-dominated field (pun intended). There are a lot of STEM and baseball references, which is good to know before diving it. It’s a perfect blend of nerdy and sporty.

I thought the connection between the main characters was spot on, and while it was a little bit of a slow burn, when they finally connect, it gets very spicy very quickly. 🥵

The FMC’s assumptions at the end of the book did irritate me, but I did ultimately love how everything gets resolved.

This story just really clicked for me! It’s such a sweet romcom and I loved the workplace romance aspect, the baseball references, the destination wedding scenes—it just all came together to create a truly lovable romance and one I was cheering for. I also was a little hesitant about Gabe in the beginning based on how he treats Emmy, but him owning up to it was everythinggg.

There are also touches of deeper plot lines, and I appreciated how these were addressed and not pushed off until the last minute or ignored completely. Emmy’s resolution with her parents and her feelings of grief were handled with care. I also liked the balance of these themes with the other important parts of the story.

This is a quick, fun, spicy romcom that would be a perfect beach read! Definitely worth your time 😍

Emmy Jameson has sworn off dating after her last love interest ended with an ultimatium that she choose between him or her job. She loves her job as a data analyst for the local professional baseball team, but she is tired of feeling like she's the odd one out in their boys club. Then one day she receives a random text message from somone she definitely didn't go out with the night before. She responds and the texts quickly turn flirty, sparking the kind of connection she doesn't feel in her normal life. With her sister's wedding approaching, she decides to invite her mystery man to be her plus one, only to find out that he is her bitter work rival, Gabe Olson, who also happens to be up for the same provotion as Emmy. Can they replicate the spark they had while texting in real-life or are they destined to be enemies?

I had been in a romance slump when I picked up this title, so I was worried this wouldn't deliver despite containing several of my favorite tropes (Enemies to lovers, secret identity, taking a trip together). But OMG this book delivered! The chemistry between the two was palpable and even though Gabe was first described as a stereotypical arrogant jock, he turns out to the perfect kind of guy - sweet and supportive. There's a little bit of baseball in the story but not enough to turn away those who don't know much about the sport. I devoured this one in less than 24 hours and would recommend it to anyone who likes a good enemies-to-lovers romance with a hint of spice.

Overall: 4.5/5 rounded up
Spice: 2/3

This was a cute, feel-good romance but it did tackle grief, so take care of yourselves when reading.

-Workplace romance
-Baseball
-Enemies to lovers (kind of)
-ONE BED TROPE!
-He falls first
-Epistolary

There is so much to love here.

Can you imagine one wrong number text turning into a deep connection? And then surprise surprise, that connection is with your work nemesis.

I had a lot of fun reading this, and I really liked Emmy and Gabe, and I was rooting for them and kicking my feet as they fell for one another.

Also, the ending of this book gave me HUGE Never Been Kissed vibes, and now I just want to watch that movie again

2000s romcom vibes, work place romance, forced proximity and baseball. Need I say more!

This was such a fun read and I loved every minute of it ♥️

Thank you Avon Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the chance to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Avon books for the ARC of Last Night Was Fun!

4.5 ⭐️ What a fun summer read! I will fully admit that this book was hard for me to get into at first. It wasn’t until about a quarter of the way through that I actually found myself excited to pick it up to see what would happen next. As someone who isn’t a big baseball fan and who does not like math or statistics (lol) I felt like it was hard for me to care about all of the focus on this in the beginning, though I obviously understand that it’s going to be prevalent given that it’s the main character’s job.

With that being said, after things picked up, I really enjoyed this read and had no trouble zipping through the rest. Emmy is a woman in a male dominated industry and is constantly feeling like she needs to prove herself. She hesitates to form relationships with anyone at work because it’s a “boy’s club” and she feels excluded. I felt for Emmy because I have definitely experienced this in my own life. She also has a bit of a rivalry with her coworker Gabe. They’re in the running for the same promotion to senior analyst, and there is a lot of tension (both professionally and in general) between them.

What to expect:
- workplace rivals to lovers
- texting relationship
- sports analyst FMC and MMC
- forced proximity
- fake dating-ish
- one bed

Emmy is at home one weekend when she gets a text from an unknown number - a man who got “fake numbered” at a bar and was given Emmy’s number instead of the girl he had been talking to at said bar. It is very obvious to the reader that this man is Gabe, but both Emmy and Gabe remain quite oblivious to this fact. Over the next several weeks, they talk every day and open up to each other, confiding about their job, personal life, and traumas in their past.

After we start to see Emmy and Gabe interact in real life after they find out that they had been unknowingly building a relationship through texting, it’s clear that they have both had a bit of a crush on each other despite their rivalry at work. I love a good workplace rivals to lovers setting and this was the perfect set up for this. The added layer of them getting to know each other and getting vulnerable via text was such a fun dynamic.

We then get a bit of a fake dating set up when Gabe ends up going to Cancun with Emmy as her date to her sister’s wedding. This gave us plenty of delightful forced proximity and a one bed situation 👀

The scene when they finally came together in the pouring rain felt like I was watching the Notebook, but in a good way. The tension was thick and the fire between them was white hot. Gabe was SO sweet and I absolutely loved seeing his character develop through the story. He was such a gem in so many different ways and I loved how he changed his goals and plans around to be with Emmy. He was so down bad for her which is one of my favorite characteristics in an MMC 😌

I thoroughly enjoyed how the rest of the book progressed, aside from the ending which was admittedly frustrating for me. Regardless, I still really enjoyed this book overall and would definitely recommend it as a fun summer/beach read!

Absolutely obsessed with this book. I had no idea it was a Holly James book until I got to the section where Emmy was watching “Name Your Price” and went wait a minute…and then it clicked! I wish I knew before, I wouldn’t have waited so long to read it!!

As someone who loves Holly James novels, and baseball, and You’ve Got Mail, and reading about workplace romances, this one was tailor-made for me. This is one of those books that you speed through because you just have to keep on reading, but you also don't want it to end.

Emmy and Gabe had perfect chemistry. I love that it’s very obvious from the beginning to the reader that Gabe is on the other end of her accidental text thread, but not to Emmy. When it comes to light, drama ensues! (But in the best way possible)

So happy to have received an ARC for this one, and I really hope this becomes a movie one day. When it does, I nominate myself to play Emmy! Can’t wait to read whatever Holly James/Holly Michelle has is store for us next.